


Leave Out All the Rest

by InTheShadows



Series: What Doesn't Kill You (Is Bound To Try Again) [8]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Civil War Team Iron Man, Comic Book Science, Feels, Gen, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki Posing as Odin, Possessive Loki (Marvel), Sort Of, Tony Stark Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 14:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15932033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InTheShadows/pseuds/InTheShadows
Summary: Loki sits on the throne of Asgard and Loki watches. He watches as the world moves on after his 'death'. He watches the other Realms, Thor, the Avengers and, most of all, Tony Stark. He watches Stark because in him he sees a kindred spirit. His mirror. He watches as the world pushes him down time and again, only for him to get back up. He watches as Stark cracks, but none see or care to see. He watches, after the Civil War, as Stark hits his limits. That won't do. He likes Stark. More to the point, he needs Stark. So he searches to find a way to give him a fresh start. And he knows just where to start.





	Leave Out All the Rest

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this so long ago, I had even forgotten about it. Lucky it still fits in, seeing as how I have changed my mind about the direction this series is going multiple times by now.  
> theme: [Leave Out All The Rest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZIummTz9mM) by Linkin Park

From the golden throne of Asgard, Loki sits.

And Loki watches.

He watches as his not-brother mourns his death. He watches as he travels back to Midgard – not to his woman, as he should, but to his Shield Brothers. He watches as 'his' staff is stolen and experimented with and forced to grant its powers to others. Most do not survive. The two that do, it twists to its own purpose, as it is prone to do. He watches the broken organization that thought could stand against him scatter into the wind and reform in different ways. He watches the Lady Jane slowly start to show signs of changes to come. He watches his not-brother's Shield Brothers. Most especially, he watches Tony Stark.

Loki sits.

And Loki watches.

And Loki  _ aches _ .

He did not realize he was still able to do so. He thought the ability had been ripped out of him. Crushed. Torn out bleeding from a scream sore throat. Destroyed by those who were suppose to care for him. Be loyal to him. Give any sign of love or regard towards him. He thought his heart long gone, even before the fall that should have killed him. Before he learned the truth that had broke him completely. It is unsettling to find that it has not.

In Tony Stark – in this mere mortal – he finds a mirror of himself. He finds a kindred soul trampled down and mocked simply for being one's self. He sees the man silently crying out to a world that will never help him. Will push him down instead. Spit on him and kick him rather than lift him up. He speaks, but none truly hear what he is saying. He wears numerous masks and fools the world and tries to fool himself. He bleeds with no way to stop the flow.

The Norns truly have a sense of humor for Loki to find his mirror now. He had suspected before. Even with mind clouded and body aching, he had noticed. How could he not? For how many others would dare to challenge the Silver Tongue to a duel? Bright, sharp, burning wit caught him attention and held it. At the time, a buried part of him mourned that they could not truly battle as he wished – with words and razor sharp smiles. Another part of him notes a possible ally.

A powerful ally. And not simply in intelligence either. It was a shock to his system when he attempted to use the staff against him. The energy. It was one Loki had become intimately familiar with. An Infinity Stone. This mere mortal was walking around with an _Infinity Stone_ in his chest. Oh, it wasn't one exactly. There were minor differences to it – slight changes to the wavelengths for example. But the changes were small enough not to matter. A mortal – a species underestimated and disregarded throughout the Realms – had harness the power of a Stone. _And used it_. No mortal is strong enough to touch a Stone and live. Yet this one mortal had one in his chest. Remarkable.

It had stretched Loki's strength, as well as his barriers, to keep this information from the Mad Titan. If _He_ were to gain such knowledge, the rest of this mortal's life would not bare thinking of. So he made sure to keep the shock and the awe buried in the hidden core of himself. The only part that had not been touched or violated in some way. He hid it because he would need this mortal. He would be a key defense for this planet. Never mind the rest of the pathetic team. Here is the brain. The heart.

He hid it because it gave him hope. At that point, hope was a word lost to Loki. It still is, in fact. Even more than happiness or contentment, he had not felt hope in so long it took him some time to identify it. He had hope of victory. Hope that, even if his story was now set in stone, another Silver Tongue's could still turn out fine. That hope held him through his imprisonment, through the death of the one person he still cared for without bitterness – anger and hurt, yes, but not true betrayal. It held him through his 'death' and healing and as he took the throne for himself.

He sits on it now, even if it gives him no true joy. He is here to make sure his plan comes to fruition. He will see the Mad Titan _burn_ for what he did to Loki. He and all his army with him. Just as he tried to crush Loki, so Loki will crush him. And he will not fail in his task. _He will not._ He could give a damn about the rest of the universe, but for what was done to him, a price shall be paid. In blood.

So he watches. And he aches as the world pushes this mortal down again. And again. And  _ again _ . Each time he stands back up. But each time he is also a little slower to do so. He is well aware that everyone has a breaking point. Intimately aware as the visible scars on his body and the invisible scars on his mind will attest to.

And he is aware that with every kick, every mockery, every insult Tony Stark is being pushed towards his. As he watches, he feels rage – something that he knows well. For they are the same. Both speak truths none want to hear. Both are surrounded by those who should care, but abuse instead. Stark's team cannot rightly be called that. Not when they take such advantage of one of their own. Shield Brothers are supposed to guard one's back when one cannot do it by themselves. These... creatures do not. They take and take and take, yet give nothing in return. They poke and mock and laugh when they should encourage instead. They misunderstand and assume at every turn.

When the 'Ultron' incident happens, Loki is tempted to abandon the throne and take care of the situation himself. That false witch dare to rape the mind of one of  _ his _ . For that she will someday pay. The rest of the so-called team stands by and lets Stark take the fall for everything. It is despicable. It is even more so when the archer, who still proclaims hate for what Loki did to him, invites the false witch to join the team. How dare he? Is he so unsympathetic to the plight of others? Or is he simply that blind?

When the so-called 'Civil War' occurs, it takes everything within him not to join the fight. Not to side with his mortal, his mirror, who so desperately needs him. But that would ruin his plans. Not that they are not already a mess anyways. His most important ally has officially reached his breaking point. The Captain – the leader, the one who is suppose to guide and protect those underneath him – has done what none have yet been able to do. He has broken Tony Stark. He will feel his wrath. One day, all those who betrayed his mortal will. Just as one day all those who betrayed Loki will learn of their grave mistake. They will pay and pay dearly.

But for now Loki must do something. He must find a way to bring the light back to his mortal's eyes. He must find a way to bring him back from the edge. Back to life. He is not allowed to stay broken. Loki needs him. So he will have to find a way to fix him.

He spends weeks thinking and reading and creating spells until he finds a solution. It would be one that is normally not possible. But because his mortal is a brilliant one, a new possibility has opened up. The man needs to separate his emotions – his trauma – from his memories. Not forget because that will lead him to making the same mistakes again. He needs to learn the lessons, but not the emotions that come with them.

He needs to be hail and healthy. Right now his torso is a mess from the false Captain's shield. So he needs healing physically as well as mentally. In short, Tony Stark needs a fresh start. And Loki knows just how to give it to him. He can give the mortal one, quite literally.

There is no such thing as a true de-aging spell. Not a permanent one. Especially not for those with no power running through their veins. But Stark has power. Even with the source removed, he still has the power of an Infinity Stone flowing through his body. And that changes everything.

True, it would be easier if the power was the Reality Stone that the Lady Jane now possesses. Or the Time Stone the newly named Sorcerer Supreme wields. But the power of any Infinity Stone is great. Nor is the Aether the only Stone that can change reality. A skilled sorcerer can still bend the power to his will. And although Stark does not possess that knowledge, Loki does. And Loki is willing to do whatever it takes to win this upcoming fight. Giving his mirror a second chance is no great sacrifice on his part. A pleasure, truth be told.

He finds it unsettling, true, to find himself caring for this mortal. But another part of him is amused. He is the God of Mischief. The God of Change. He does not follow the rules and expectations of others. He travels the road none dare to trod. Asgard, for all it's advancement, has grown stagnant. All of the Realms have, even the home of the Dwarves. All, that is, except for one. Midgard. The Realm of mortals. For all that their lives are a mere blink of an eye compared to the rest of the Tree, they _live_. They are the Realm of advancement, of experimentation and never giving up. They push both their bodies and their minds to the limit to _know_ and are never satisfied with what they have.

Everyone else may scoff at such primitive creatures, but Loki knows the true power they possess. Change is no small thing in a land where things stand still. One of the many reasons Loki is so hated – he brings chaos to their boring, steady lives. Personally, he thinks it is an improvement. Pity others do not agree. So he knows. He does not underestimate the so-called weak link of the Tree. That hidden part of him had been gleeful when the Mad Titan sent him to Midgard. He had no idea the mistake he had just committed. One that he is taking ruthless advantage of. _He_ may think the taking of Midgard will be the easiest for his Lady Death, but Loki knows better.

He suppresses the smirk that wants to break through. Odin All-Father does not smirk gleefully at the thought of his enemy's blood being spilled. No, the All-Father is a 'wise' and 'benevolent' god. It will not do to give himself away quite yet. Not this soon in the game.

Still, inwardly he cackles. Things have been derailed, but that can be fixed. Improved even. After all, it would be such a shame to let that power singing in his mortal's veins go to waste. Once the power is awake, the scope of what he can accomplish will broaden considerably. He will go even farther than before. All the universe will know the name of Loki's mortal.

And it would be inconsiderate of him not to do so as well. Even now, the Lady Jane is noticing the changes the Stone has given her. It would be rude to leave her alone in this experience. And – truth be told – he does not want her to be. He admires her inner fire. Her mind, while not as great as Stark's, is still formidable. She is someone he can appreciate, if not care for beyond the idea of it. Thor is a fool for treating her as he does. Then again, Thor is a fool in a great many things, so that is no great surprise.

Nodding to the guards, he leaves the throne for the night. Now that he has a solution, there is no reason to delay. And besides, his mortal owes him a drink.

  
  


 

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone wondering, I kind of cheated here and mixed the Tesseract and a Cosmic Cube to get the results I wanted. If you don't know what I mean, don't worry about it, it's a small detail anyways. I had been googling too much that day, worrying about it.


End file.
